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Where was the certified letter send to...which address and did you live there at the time?

IMo 1 certified letter doesn't give them the right to do this, what about a reminder?

I had a mistake made by Sam's Club credit card due to a $ 35.- gas bill...I had moved and they send the cc bill to my old address and very strangly it was never forwarded to me, although all my mail was forwarded to my new address by USPS...also I had given notice to Sam's Club of my move and all other mail from them arrived on my new address, that was proof enough to have Sam's Club pay a bill of over $ 300.- ($ 35.- + interest + collecting fees, etc.)...so Sam's Club paid it off but it will stay on our credit report for years, due to the credit agency won't listen to Sam's Club or their collecting agency...An appology was what we got and we cut the card and cancelled the account....

I will never sign off on anything unless I get enough proof of not being liable and won't fall for any new cc offers, ever! Luckily we didn't have to pay it...but the hassle is horrible.

I think just one certified letter without any reminder can't do it for them...JMO. If you didn't give a forwarding address or non of your other mail was forwarded it might be better to pay if off before the amount will be higher...if you have proof, than fight it.

If you didn't receive a certified letter then their claim that they sent you a certified letter is a bunch of B.S.

It sounds like you are getting bs'ed. Don't pay it! There is no point in letting them scam you, not to mention the collection account history will remain on your credit report for the next 7 years.

Stand up against the scammers and sue their butts in small claims court. Chances are very good they will cave and drop the charges and the collection account to avoid a trial if they are going to lose.

You have been had! Bent over the the LL planted it right up your rosey red. As other posters have said the cheapest way out is just pay the $205 and chalk it up to a learning experience. Any tenant reading this should realize the golden rule of renting; never trust a landlord . Always document especially with photos or videos. Secondly be sure to have a move-in form and a move-out form signed by both you the tenant and the LL.
Here is a suggestion I have for all tenants . I think one of the best protections against false charges is a video camera. They are very inexpensive today and you can even pick one up on craigslist. Get video when you move in and don't overlook anything no matter how little it seems. Also give add your verbal comments while recording. Make a DVD or have one made from the dv tape. Do the same when moving out. When your LL does the final inspection ask to use you dv camera. If the LL declines note that and make the LL aware that you have both move-in and move-out videos. Always remember when dealing with LL's you are dealing with some of the sneakiest and underhanded people you will ever meet. Never trust a landlord!

If you didn't receive a certified letter then their claim that they sent you a certified letter is a bunch of B.S.

It sounds like you are getting bs'ed. Don't pay it! There is no point in letting them scam you, not to mention the collection account history will remain on your credit report for the next 7 years.

Stand up against the scammers and sue their butts in small claims court. Chances are very good they will cave and drop the charges and the collection account to avoid a trial if they are going to lose.

Excellent points! Make sure the collection agency validates the debt before you pay them. If worse comes to worst, you could always arrange a "pay for delete" so that the blemish is removed from your credit. I'm not sure if this is allowed on this forum or not, but there's a free site about credit issues called creditboards.com . They discuss how to make sure a debt is valid before being scammed by an agency (many of which do NOT obey federal collection/reporting laws). If you do owe this money, there is also a way that you can pay to have it deleted from your reports. Technically speaking, a paid collection is no better (in terms of credit score) than an unpaid collection. First thing first is consult with this collection agency via written correspondence only! Good luck.

If what you say is true then it looks like their letter of keeping $205 from a secruity deposit is proof of payment is a big mistake on their part in say that was how they collect already.

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